UPDATED: Maziarz to retire

NOTE: This post has been updated to reflect state Sen. George Maziarz’s announcement that he will retire.

State Sen. George Maziarz, a top Republican, will not run for re-election this fall.

Sunday night’s announcement came hours after western New York Democratic sources said Maziarz was considering declining his petitions.

In a statement Maziarz said he has been considering retirement for the last five years and that as he readied to defend his 62nd Senate District seat again, he realized he did not have the passion and commitment he had in the past to see a run through.

“People will ask me why now and the simple answer is there is never the perfect time to step away,” Maziarz said. “I had the honor of following the late John Daly into the State Senate. I remember him telling me when he left the Senate it was simply time for the next generation of leaders in the Legislature. After nearly two decades in office, I fully understand what he meant and feel that way today.”

Sources, as well as the blog — Politics NY — said the Republican Party may tap North Tonawanda Mayor Rob Ortt to take the long-time senator’s place on the ballot.

Maziarz has become one of the GOP’s more powerful senators, but fell under scrutiny in May when City & State magazine reported that the Moreland Commission was looking into his campaign expenditures.

The announcement comes days after the Niagara County Democratic Committee put out a release regarding reports that Maziarz’s chief of staff and office manager resigned. In the release, Niagara County Democratic Chairman Nick Forster called on federal and state prosecutors to investigate Maziarz, claiming that the resignations raised questions about the operation of the senator’s office. The Buffalo News reported the resignations Sunday night.

Niagara Falls lawyer Johnny Destino, a former Republican turned Democrat, and Gia Arnold, a Republican, both filed petitions to run for the seat last week.

Maziarz’s retirement throws the battle for power in the Senate further into chaos. Republicans were dealt their first blow last month when the Independent Democratic Conference and mainline Democrats announced they would form a new coalition after November’s general election. Then, earlier this month, state Sen. Tom Libous, a high-powered Republican, was charged with one count of making false statements to the FBI. Libous has said he plans to run for re-election, though opponents have picked up on the indictment in an effort to knock the popular long-time Southern Tier senator.

State Sen. Lee Zeldin won a Republican primary for the 1st Congressional District last month as well, leaving another Long Island seat with an incumbent for this fall (Charles Fuschillo left the Senate at the end of last year to pursue a private sector career).

Maziarz has kept his district in Republican hands since 1995, though it nowleans Democrat by roughly 5,000 votes.

Republicans are looking to pick up a group of Democratically-held seats despite the additional districts they now need to defend without the help of incumbents. Among the seats is the 46th Senate District seat held by Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk. The Duanesburg farmer is facing a challenge from Republican George Amedore, whom she narrowly defeated in 2012.

Matthew Hamilton

7 Responses

Thanks for the update, actual news! Niagara Ctny is the Brooklyn of Upstate, just ridiculously corrupt and mobby. Good riddance to this hack and a half. Mazzy were worth a darn he’d have told Skelos if he signed the message of necessity that he’d be cleaning out the majority office before the next sundown.

George came to the Senate after a “special election” that was rigged for him to be the selected candidate who could win in a low turn out election. With over a million in his campaign coffers (even after he had paid for all that wine and the Party Clowns) George knew that a viable Democrat would not be on the ballot running against him this year. So at the very end of the petition process he drops this on everyone to assure that his hand picked crony can come to office just like he did. I hope voters see that even “when George’s time has come” he is trying to control the outcome. Niagara County would not be well served by having “Little Georgie” Ortt in the Senate!